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| - From the moment I started learning French in grade four, I was enamoured by all things French. Their way of life, their style, their wines - but most of all - their food! My father always said that the two biggest food cultures in the world have to be Chinese and French. I can't help but agree.
When I was in Paris last year, I got hooked on bistros. They line the streets like taxi cabs line the airport - ils sont partout!
In this month's edition of lunch with Ms. B, my high school English teacher, I decided to take her downtown to Lafayette Bistro. Like most women in her generation (my mom, my friend's moms, and everyone in that age group), she dreads driving downtown. That and I had a Living Social voucher to use up, so why the heck not?!
Parking is pretty plentiful on this less busy strip of Queen West, and relatively inexpensive. I had made reservations ahead of time, and so the wait wasn't very long.
The décor is typical French bistro, with opera posters adorning the walls and simple tables and chairs. But there was something homey and inviting about Lafayette that I adored. The windows out front let in a lot of natural lighting, and though the restaurant is in no way small, it was cozy and quaint.
The menu itself is not extensive, but features bistro classics from sandwiches to French onion soup.
Co-owner and chef Jean-Pierre Boué (is it just me or are a lot of Toronto's French chefs named JP?) is absolutely adorable, and is a "mingle with the crowd" type of restauranteur. He personally served up some dishes while inquiring with his guests about their meal.
My Living Social voucher entitled us to a soup, entrée, dessert and drink. This cost me a total of $25. To my surprise, the voucher included alcoholic beverages as we weren't charged for the glass of white wine that Ms. B ordered! Now I feel kind of ripped off for ordering a cappuccino :p
I opted for French Onion Soup which, like all the food I had that day came out piping hot (just the way I like it!). The soup had a good onion-y flavour, and the cheese was oozing out of the cauldron-like ramekin like a mean witches brew! The cheese was a little bit too gooey for me but that's perhaps my fault for not giving the cheese enough time to congeal. Its the same thing with cheese on a pizza.
For mains I opted for the Duck Confit + Lentils. My first reaction was "That is a really big bed of lentils," but once I tasted it, there couldn't have been enough of it. The butter brought out a sweetness in the lentils, and the mixture was creamy and satisfying. I didn't have a knife for the longest time and fared fine with just a fork; the meat just fell off the bone.
Their dessert menu consisted of their rendition of a Banana Sundae and Pommes Tatin (sans the tarte) as well as plain ice cream. The pommes tatin was cinnamon-y, creamy, rich and warmed me on the inside with the hot apples. I did miss having pie crust to tie it altogether though.
V E R D I C T
Lafayette is definitely a place I would go for my French food fix. Their menu is simple, but the food is comforting and delicious. The only downer is that menu selection is a bit limiting.
I am always in search of local gems, and Lafayette has found a place on that list.
On a side note, I think that Nice, France is the new Paris. Chef Jean-Pierre Boué is from there, and so are the owners of Nice Bistro in Whitby. It seems that all my positive French dining experiences are owned and operated by the French who come from that region! Next stop, Paris, Nice!
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